What's the commonest name for a new baby in your borough?
The Office for National Statistics has released its annual data on newborn naming across the country. The spreadsheets break the data down by local authority, including the London boroughs.
We can see, therefore, which names are most commonly given to newborn boys and girls across London. The results are plotted on the map above.
We don't see any radical shifts from the 2017 data (see map here). The biggest change for boys is the rise of the Leo. In 2017, only one borough (Camden) had an outright majority of Leos. Now, the parents of four boroughs favour that name. Muhammed remains the commonest top name, with eight boroughs recording this as the most popular registration.
For girls, Olivia and Amelia are by far the most popular choices. The names Isla (Sutton) and Lily (Lambeth) are newcomers to our map.
It should be noted that the numbers recorded here are quite small. So, for example, while the top girl's name in Kensington & Chelsea is Mia, that reflects just 13 births. The second and third-placed names are only narrowly behind. Still, plotting the names out like this offers an interesting snapshot of trends across the capital.
List of changes between 2017 and 2018 data
Six boroughs recorded no change: Ealing, Hackney, Harrow, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Wandsworth.
Barking & Dagenham: Amelia -> Olivia
Barnet: Alexander/David jointly -> David; Olivia -> Maya
Bexley: Amelia -> Olivia
Brent: David -> Adam; Maya -> Sofia
Bromley: Oliver -> Jack
Camden: Leo -> Alexander; Ella -> Amelia
Croydon: Joshua -> Muhammad
Enfield: Amelia -> Sophia
Greenwich: Noah -> David
Hammersmith & Fulham: Alexander -> Leo; Sophia -> Olivia
Haringey: Alexander/Joshua jointly -> Leo; Maya -> Sophia
Havering: Oliver -> George; Olivia -> Amelia
Hillingdon: Olivia -> Sophia
Hounslow: Olivia -> Amelia
Islington: Alexander -> Henry
Kensington & Chelsea: Alexander/James/Noah jointly -> Alexander; Isabella -> Mia
Kingston-upon-Thames: Joshua -> Leo; Charlotte/Emily/Isla/Sophia jointly -> Olivia
Lambeth: Alexander -> Leo; Olivia -> Amelia/Lily/Sophia
Lewisham: Oliver -> Noah
Merton: Alexander/Oliver -> Alexander; Isabella/Olivia -> Olivia
Redbridge: Maryam -> Sophia
Richmond-upon-Thames: George/Leo -> Oliver; Sophie -> Olivia
Southwark: Jack -> Leo; Olivia -> Isabella
Sutton: Olivia -> Isla
Waltham Forest: Amelia -> Olivia
Wandsworth: Arthur -> Oscar; Sophia -> Olivia
Westminster: Sophia -> Maya/Mia
